The Spirit in the Evidence
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: She wanders the roadside where she was killed. She gets unsuspecting drivers into crashes, always with one look at her scarred face & a scream. When 3 friends offer her a ride, no one realizes how imporant the video footage taken on that night is...
1. Chapter 1

**The Spirit in the Evidence**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: She wanders the roadside where she was killed. She gets unsuspecting drivers into crashes, always with one look at her scarred face and a scream. Until now, the evidence has been little, but when three friends offer her a ride, no one realizes how important the video footage taken on that night is, and for the lone survivor of the crash, it evokes a mystery he's determined to solve. But will he be able to? Based on the Teresa Fidalgo legend.**

"We're never going to get out of here, Avaric. Just admit it, we're lost."

"We aren't lost, Glinda. I know perfectly well where we are."

"Oh really? Where are we then?" He didn't reply, just glanced at the blonde in the passenger seat beside him before turning back to the road. The blonde rolled her eyes. "Just admit it Avaric, we're lost."

"We're not lost!"

"Glinda, he's never going to admit that he's wrong. Avaric's too proud." She turned to look behind her, and rolled her eyes, coming face-to-face with a video camera.

"Why are you recording this anyway, Yero? We're just going up Restwater."

"I'm recording this because I'm going to be a director someday, and you're going to_ begging _to get in to see my films." She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"I thought you gave up on that dream." Avaric said from the driver's seat.

"Nope. And I don't plan to."

"Yero-" He turned his attention back to the blonde, catching her golden curls, her big blue eyes, her creamy skin and long nose forever in the frame, however the colors were gone due to the night vision. She smiled at him just the same.

"I'm serious, Glinda. I'm going to be a director. And you, will be dying to star in my films. Both of you will. Just watch."

Glinda laughed, before turning back around.

Glinda Salia Upland was the only child of Kesta and Jerton Upland, a prominent banker in the Pertha Hills. Glinda, like Fiyero and Avaric had attended Shiz University for the last two years, and was majoring in fashion design. She was perky and outgoing, a perfect match for Avaric, who she'd been dating since they started at Shiz. And it was here in the town of Shiz, that the Univeristy was named for, that they were now trying to find their way out of to get to the summer resort town of Restwater, thirty miles away.

"The day you become a director is the day I flip this car over, Yero." Avaric said, rolling his eyes as his friend zoomed in on the windshield.

Avaric Merku Kertan of Tenmeadows was a business major at Shiz University, Fiyero's roommate, and best friend. He was a brunette with deep violet eyes, and an easygoing personality that drew people to him. Never the one to slack off on something, he always did what was told, within reason, and unless it was in his best interest. Which, in short terms, meant that if it was boring, he wasn't doing it.

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Like that's ever going to happen, Av."

Fiyero Liir Tiggular was the Crown Prince of the Vinkus, but had given up the throne in favor of another passion- directing. With his deep blue eyes and charming smile, he was liked by everyone, and had several close friends, but no girlfriend. He had no time for one, and didn't particularly want one.

"Avaric, what are you doing?" Glinda asked as her boyfriend pulled into a side street and backed up, before down a curve of highway.

"We were heading down a side street. This way's faster." He replied, as Fiyero returned to watching the scenery pass through his video lense. They drove for several minutes, chatting and laughing before coming to a certain stretch of road. As they moved along, the headlights drew across something on the side of the road. But as they got closer, they saw that it was a person- a girl.

"Let's get out of here."

"No, Avaric, wait. Let's stop. She looks lost." Glinda said.

"Maybe we could give her a ride." Fiyero added. Avaric bit his lip.

"I don't think so."

"Oh please, Avaric! She's all alone and lost! We could give her a ride, it wouldn't kill us." Glinda said. After several moments of conversation, he pulled over and stopped next to the girl. Glinda quickly rolled down the window, as Fiyero focused on the passenger door across from him.

"Do you need a ride?" Glinda called. The girl went to the window.

"Would it be okay?" She asked, locking eyes with Glinda before looking at Avaric.

"Of course it's okay." Glinda said. "Hop in." The girl gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks."

Then, she went to the back door and pulled it open, before climbing in, as Fiyero backed up. Once the door was closed behind her and her seatbelt buckled, Avaric started on the road again. Fiyero turned to Glinda, who looked back at the girl, before turning his attention to the girl next to him.

She was pretty, with long raven hair, deep brown eyes, a button nose, and harlequin green skin. Her slender form was thin, and she wore a white tank top and white capris with sneakers.

"Hi, I'm Fiyero. That's Glinda, and Avaric." He said, introducing his friends. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands, and her hands on her knees.

"Nice to meet you."

"You okay?" She nodded to Glinda, who noticed how pale she looked.

"What's your name?" Avaric asked from the driver's seat.

"Elphaba." The girl replied, rubbign her forehead.

"You sure you're okay?" Glinda asked. Elphaba nodded.

"I'm fine. I've just... got a headache."

"You sure?" Glinda pressed.

"Glin, she said she's fine." Fiyero said, suddenly protective of the mysterious stranger. Glinda sighed and returned to facing forward.

"I... I guess... I... just haven't been the same... since..."

"Since what?" Fiyero asked gently. After a moment, Elphaba glanced at the camera before covering her face with her hands.

"Since my accident."

The car fell silent, and it was several moments before Elphaba leaned forward, looking between the seats. Then, with in an almost urgent state, she pointed towards a spot of ground that they were coming to.

"There..."

"What's wrong? What is it?"

"There... That's... that's where... I had my accident... and died."

When Fiyero turned the camera back towards Elphaba, he was surprised to see her beautiful face now scarred, bloody, cut up, as though she'd just been in a car accident. She looked into the camera and screamed, and as the car veered sharply to the left. The car had flipped onto its side, throwing all three occupants violently. The video camera was thrown out of his hands, and he struck his head, enough to force him into unconsiousness. But as he slowly came too, he realized that the girl was no where to be found, and that both Glinda and Avaric were silent. He tried to speak, but again soon lost consiousness, his own words wringing in his head as the blackness engulfed him once more.

_You will be dieing to star in my films. Both of you._

He was right.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

The smell of antiseptic met his nose as he slowly opened his eyes to a room of white. Bright lights assaulted his retinas, and sound of footsteps nearvy caused him to slowly turn his head to the side. A nurse stood over him, checking his bandages and IV, a small smile on her face.

"Good, you're awake. We were worried you wouldn't pull through." She said, meeting his gaze. After several moments, he asked,

"Wh... what happened?" His voice was gruff and raw, unused, and after several moments, the nurse sighed and said,

"There was an accident." Then, making sure he was stable and comfortable, she left.

"Wait!"

He looked up to see his parents.

"Oh Fiyero! Thank Oz you're okay!" He didn't say anything as his mother threw her arms around him and held him close, but after several moments, he asked,

"What... happened? Where are Avaric and Glinda?"

"Honey, there was an accident... the car flipped... Avaric and Glinda..."

After several moments, she turned towards the television in the corner. It was on, and he watched silently, as images of Avaric's car, broken and flipped on its side, shattered glass everywhere was shown, with cops and paramedics swarming around it. At first, he couldn't make out the reporter's voice, but suddenly, it came rushing towards him.

"...three college students from nearby Shiz University were on their way to Restwater for the weekend, when reportedly, without reason, the car flipped over... it is uncertain what caused the crash, but a video was found near one of the victims..."

He turned from the television, to find himself staring into his little sister's eyes.

"Are you going to be okay, Yero?" She asked.

"Of course he's going to be okay, Nor. He'll be fine. The worst is over." Mr. Tiggular said, helping his daughter off the bed. After several moments, Fiyero turned to his mother and asked,

"G... Glinda... Avaric..."

"Honey, I'm sorry..." Slowly, he turned from them, as tears slowly began to slide down his cheeks. After a while, they left, with whispered words of love and promises to be back the next day. Once they were gone, he let his grief take over.

Avaric... Glinda... gone... his best friends... _gone_... it couldn't be... they _couldn't_ be... they were laughing and talking and joking last night... they were _alive_... last night...

As he thought back on the previous night, he tried to think of what could have gone wrong... everything had gone fine until that girl...

The one they'd picked up just before the crash.

What was her name?

Eliana? Emala? No...

_Elphaba..._

_That _was her name.

Elphaba.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember what she looked like.

Long, kind of scraggly raven hair, dark brown eyes, a button nose, full lips, green skin...

Yes, she was beautiful, but had a haunted look in her eyes. Almost like she'd stared death in the face...

And then she'd pointed out the spot where she'd had her accident and when he'd turned back, her beautiful face was covered in scars, cuts, blood...

She's screamed, and the next thing he knew, he was being removed from the twisted remains of Avaric's car, before waking up here.

But what had she said before the crash?

He struggled to remember her words, and after several moments, her words slowly came back to him.

"There... That's... that's where... I had my accident... and died."

... And _died_.

_Died._

She was dead.

As he stared at the ceiling, he couldn't help thinking that he'd been a fool for talking Avaric into giving her a ride. If he'd listened to Avaric, they would probably be in Restwater by now, swimming in the lake and sharing dinner at one of the restaurants. But because of his urging, Avaric and Glinda were...

Slowly, he turned his head, closing his eyes as salty tears began to once again slide down his cheeks. He pictured her, beautiful, scared, and suddenly the image turned to one of horror, as her scream ran in his ears. The sound of glass shattering, and the feel of the car turning on its side, the feel of being slammed against the window, as his camera flew out of his hands, all came rushing back.

How could he have been so stupid? He'd stuck up for her, defended her, and she'd turned around and done _this_ to him and his friends.

Landing him in the hospital and causing his friends' premature deaths.

Avaric and Glinda were only twenty.

They didn't have a chance to live. They'd been planning on getting married the year after graduation, moving to the City... they'd had it all planned out... and they didn't get to do _any of it..._ because of _her_...

After several minutes, he lost it, screaming until he lost his voice, as his grief overtook him, the entire time _her, her, her _running a mantra in his head. He didn't realize the nurses and doctors coming in to restrain him, sedate him...

_"No! Avaric! Glinda!"_

He struggled to keep them from inserting the needle, but all his fighting couldn't stop them, and soon, he found his body giving in. When they were done and all quietly left, he covered his face with his hands, sobbing, as the realization that a girl-_ a girl_- had caused the deaths of his friends.

And that he was the only survivor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Isn't the legend fake though? Like the guy who made it came out and said it was all for show?**

**Answer: The video that's on Youtube? It's a reenactment of the myth/urban legend of the White Lady(ies). **

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 1.**

A scream forced his eyes to snap open, and he sat up, searching for the source of the scream and the sight of breaking glass. When he realized that he was alone, he lay back, staring out at the night sky. It had been two weeks since the accident, two weeks since Avaric and Glinda's deaths, two weeks since he was released from the hospital. A memorial had been held for Avaric and Glinda, and classes had been canceled for the next four weeks, which gave Fiyero time to readjust to his friends not being around.

Now, as he lay in his dorm, staring out at the stars, he tried to calm his racing pulse, but found himself going back to the girl. He'd gotten his video camera back, as well as the video footage from that night, but hadn't had the strength nor courage to watch it. Finding himself unable to sleep, he slowly got up and went to his desk, taking a seat before turning on his desk lamp. A newspaper sat on the desktop, open, big, bold letters over two photos of the college students that had lost their lives. Silent, he read the headline, tears beginning to prick his eyes.

_SHIZ STUDENTS DIE IN FATAL CRASH_

_COLLEGE STUDENTS Glinda Upland and Avaric Kertan lost their lives in a fatal car crash on Saturday, June 12th... police are uncertain about what caused the fatal crash... the students were seen taking a side street before turning onto the main curve... a third victim was transported to Shiz Medical... both Upland and Kertan were pronounced dead on arrival... police are investigating the possibility of alcohol or drugs..._

He turned from the article, unable to read anymore. He fixed himself a cup of tea before settling on the sofa with his laptop, and pulling up the internet. After playing several games of solitare, he finally turned to the dvd of his video footage from that night. After looking at it, he slowly slid it into his laptop, and waited for it to start.

Before he knew it, he was watching the inside of the car, as his voice reached his ears. Then, Glinda appeared on screen, happy and smiling, the last image of her as she'd always been in life- happy, bubbly, all smiles. Avaric's voice was heard, before his own, and then, they came to the curve where the girl was. He heard voices exchanged, before the back door opened, and the girl's face was seen.

He watched the footage, freezing it to look at her face.

She was beautiful, her button nose slightly upturned, and her dark eyes wide with a seemingly innocent look. Her lips were closed, and her hair hung in front of her face, brushing lightly against her cheek. After a moment, he hit the_ Play _button, and watched as she climbed in and shut the door before buckling her seatbelt.

"...got a headache..."

She had looked so innocent, so lost, that he had felt, for a moment, like he was falling in love with her...

"... since my accident..."

He watched as she leaned forward and pointed.

"... had my accident... died..."

He _Paused_ it just as he turned back to her, to see her face bloody and cut up. The image froze, her eyes wide and staring at him, as her mouth opened to scream. He just stared at her for several moments, before finally studying her- _really_ studying her.

She had several scars around her right eye, on her nose, and right cheek, like the right side of her had gotten the worst of whatever she'd been in. Her nose looked to be partially ripped off, and her lips were bruised and torn. Even looking the way she did, Fiyero saw fear reflected in her dark eyes, as though she were afraid of something or someone, and even as the image sat frozen, he could still hear her scream.

He was certain that scream would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Eventually, he turned the dvd off, removed it from his laptop and put it back in the case, before getting up and going into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. When he checked the clock, he was surprised to find that it was five-ten. Which meant he'd only gotten about an hour of sleep. As he splashed water on his face, he reflected back on that night.

They'd been so excited, so carefree, so _innocent_...

And now two of those innocents were gone.

As he raised his head, he locked eyes with someone in the mirror. It only took a moment for him to realize who-

Her.

Elphaba.

Her face was as smooth and young as that night, and she stared at him with fear in her eyes, and in the blink of an eye, she had changed to the slashed, horrifying woman that he'd caught on camera. She opened her mouth and he winced as her scream filled the air. When he opened his eyes, she was gone, and he turned from the sink, going back to the bed on shaky legs. Once he was back under the covers, he pulled them over his head, and covered his ears, trying with all his might to block out the horror of that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 2 and 3.**

Fiyero spent the next several days looking over his shoulder for any sign of the girl, as though she'd sneak up behind him and slit his throat. Eventually, he decided that maybe the library would hold some information to the crash- or at least the girl. Armed with his laptop and the video, he stalked into the Shiz library and after getting the attention of the librarian, asked,

"Do you know anything about Elphaba?"

The woman furrowed a brow. "Elphaba? I'm sorry, I don't know any Elphaba."

He licked his lips, and after setting his laptop down and putting in the dvd, hit Play. All too soon, the librarian found herself watching the video, unable to tear her eyes away. Fiyero watched her face, noticing the shock on her features. When she saw the girl's scarred and bloody face, she met his eyes briefly, only to see him close his and turn his head away. The only time he looked up, was when the sound of the scream, followed by the car crashing and glass shattering was heard- and then he found himself the subject of everyone in the library.

Instantly, whispers began, subtle glances thrown his way, and as he turned back to the librarian, she looked at him with a slightly green tinge to her skin. Pushing the laptop back to him, she said,

"I'm sorry... we... we don't have anything... on that girl... per... perhaps the local... library would..." He nodded, thanked her, and picking up the laptop, he left, going back to his dorm. Once there, he settled on the bed, and looked around the apartment.

Slung over the back of the sofa was Avaric's leather jacket. Instead of wearing it that fateful night, he'd opted for a lighter, jean jacket. After a while, he got up and went to the sofa, picking up the jacket and bringing it to his nose. Instantly, Avaric's scent filled the room, and an image, clear as day, appeared in Fiyero's head. Smiling, carefree, like he had been in life, he faced Fiyero, examining his friend. In his mind, Avaric was as alive as he was, and after several moments, he struggled to make out what Avaric was saying.

_Gob... Gov... Govenor?_

Was it Govenor?

Govenor what?

All too soon, Avaric faded, and Fiyero opened his eyes, one word ringing in his head.

Govenor.

As he tossed the jacket back on the sofa, the sound of something crinkling caught his attention. Slowly, he lifted up the jacket, and checked the pockets... His fingers graced something in the left side pocket, and he pulled it out.

A crinkled, balled up piece of paper.

The jacket fell to the floor as he slowly began to un-ball the paper, until a message was revealed within the middle. Going to his desk, he sat and slowly smoothed out the paper, trying to make out what was written upon it. In Avaric's tidy scrawl, were the words,

_The Munchkinland Govenor, 2:30, June 26th_

A meeting. Avaric was planning on meeting the Govenor of Munchkinland.

But why?

Suddenly fueled with new purpose, he went to his lap top, turned it on and logged into the internet. Then, he typed _Munchkinland Govenor _into the search box. Up came over two-thousand results, and after several moments, he clicked on one, pulling up a biography of the Govenor. Apparently it was a website on the Govenor and his family. After quickly copying down the name of the man and address, Fiyero clicked on something that struck his interest. Up can a beautifully decorated webpage.

_In Loving Memory of_

_Elphaba Aislinn Thropp_

_June 12th, 1958 - June 13th, 1983_

_On June 13th, 1983, Elphaba Aislinn Thropp was tragically killed..._

Beneath the name and dates, was a photograph of the girl, and beneath that, a biography, telling about her life and death. While he skimmed the biography, he kept returning his attention to the photograph. She stared at him, her dark eyes alight with happiness, raven hair over her shoulders, a big smile on her face. Her button nose wrinkled in delight, and for a moment, he thought she would say something. She looked vaguely familiar...

And suddenly, he realized _why_.

Pulling out the dvd, he popped it into the player, and waited for it to start. Moving through the footage, he stopped when the girl opened the door. Facing him, she looked frightened, scared. Quickly, he clicked off, to examine the girl on the memorial page. Time and time again, he looked from one to the other, making the connection, without even needing to go back and read the biography of her death.

It was her.

The girl walking along the side of the road.

The girl that they'd invited into the car that night.

The girl that had pointed out the place of her death, and then turned into a disgusting, bloody corpse in front of him.

The girl who's scream still rang in his ears.

The girl who had caused Avaric and Glinda's deaths.

The beautiful girl staring at him from the webpage was the same girl who had climbed into the car that horrifying night. There was no mistaking it; those eyes, that button nose, the hair, those full lips. The girl in the car.

It was her.

_"Elphaba."_

It was the Govenor's daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

Four days later, Fiyero found himself in a cab, going towards the Govenor's mansion, Colwen Grounds. Once the cab pulled up in front of the mansion, he paid the driver and got out, closing the door behind him before turning to the mansion. As he moved up the cobblestone steps and onto the porch, he told himself that he still had enough time to call the cab back and go. But he couldn't. Not until he talked to the Govenor.

"Yes? Who are you?"

Fiyero bit his lip, before saying, "I... I was wondering if I could talk to the Govenor." The older woman examined him slowly, a frown on her face.

"Why?"

"Please. It's important. I have some information that I think he might be interested in."

After several moments, she pushed the door open and let him enter. "This way." He followed the woman up the stairs to the second floor and into a private office, where an older man sat at a huge Quoxwood desk. "Frexspar, there's someone here to see you." Then, she left, closing the door behind her. Once she was gone, Fiyero turned back to the man. He was older, balding, with dark brown eyes- eyes like the girl's.

"Yes? Can I help you?" He asked.

"Um, Govenor Thropp? My name is Fiyero Tiggular-"

"The young man involved in the car crash near Shiz?"

He nodded.

"Well it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry to hear about your friends."

"Thank you." When the Govenor offered him to take a seat, he did, holding the laptop close.

"What do you have there?"

Taking a deep breath, Fiyero said, "Mr. Thropp, I... I met your daughter, Elphaba, that night." The govenor scoffed softly.

"I'm sorry Mr. Tiggular, but, I'm afraid it's impossible for you to have met my oldest. She's dead." After several moments, Fiyero set his laptop on the desk, put the dvd in, and turned it towards him.

"I hate to contradict you, Mr. Thropp, but I think this will convince you otherwise." And with that, he pressed _Play_.

He sat back, watching the Govenor's face as he watched the footage. At first, the older man seemed to be almost bored, but the expression soon left his face when the mysterious girl entered the jumping frame. He lifted his head, locking eyes briefly with Fiyero, as his mouth slowly opened in shock.

_"Nice to meet you."_

_"You okay?" _

_"What's your name?" _

_"Elphaba." _

_"You sure you're okay?"_

_"I'm fine. I've just... got a headache."_

_"You sure?" _

_"Glin, she said she's fine." _

_"I... I guess... I... just haven't been the same... since..."_

_"Since what?" _

_"Since my accident."_

Several minutes of silence followed, and the Govenor watched, eyes trained on the frame as the camera went back and forth between the front of the car and the girl he knew so well.

_"There..."_

_"What's wrong? What is it?"_

_"There... That's... that's where... I had my accident... and died."_

Then, she turned to the camera, and the govenor got a good look at her face, as his eyes widened in shock.

It was her.

The scraggily raven hair, the dark brown eyes, button nose, full lips, green skin... it was her. He knew it was. And as he stared into her wide, frightened eyes, he found himself examining the cuts, the scars, the blood on her face. Every scar, cut, every bruise was in the exact same place it'd been when they'd last seen her. Her nose, was ripped to shreds, her lips bruised, torn and bleeding, her right cheek caved in, cheekbone broken, and the bones around her right eye, broken- shattered- so that she was almost unrecognizable.

But he recognized her.

Of course he recognized her, how could he not? She was his daughter, his little girl...

She'd been his girl from the moment she was born, and he'd doted on her, allowing her to do whatever she wanted, with hardly any consequences. But in the end, she'd paid the ultimate price for her actions.

And it was all his fault.

As the video screen went blank, he pushed the laptop back towards the young man and after several moments, met Fiyero's blue eyes with his moist brown ones. He couldn't disguise the tears in his eyes, nor did he want to. He couldn't deny the fact that the woman in the video, the woman who's scream echoed in his ears was his child. There was no mistaking it.

After several moments, he said,

"What do you want to know, Mr. Tiggular?"

"I just want to know who she is. That's all." Fiyero replied, removing the dvd and turning his laptop off before closing it.

The Govenor sighed.

"Very well. I'll tell you everything about her. After all, I know all about her."

"I-"

"She's my daughter."


	6. Chapter 6

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: The italics in the quotes are what happened...**

Fiyero nodded, settling back to listen. After several moments, Frexspar stood and went to the small bar in the corner, pouring two glasses of whiskey.

"She was our oldest. A miracle. Melena and I had tried for so long, to have a child, and... so when she was born..." He went to Fiyero, handing the young man the second glass before returning to his seat. "... when she was born, we doted on her, both of us. The skin wasn't a problem, it was actually very pretty on her, with her dark eyes and hair... We named her Elphaba. Elphaba Aislinn. Our 'beautiful dream,' as we so often called her. There were times when we were both certain to wake up and realize that she wasn't real at all... we were truly blessed to have her."

Fiyero listened, never taking his eyes off the Govenor. The older man leaned back in his chair, remembering his oldest daughter. Her smile came to him easily, and he couldn't help smiling at her memory.

"She grew up, going from an adorable little girl to a beautiful young woman. She... got everything she wanted, without us telling her no. We spoiled her- she was our little princess, Melena and I couldn't deny her anything. It was impossible. We couldn't, no matter how we tried or how much we wanted to. She was our angel..." He sighed, and turned his eyes to a frame on his desk.

Inside, was his little angel, laying on her back on the grass in the backyard, her raven hair in tangles all around her. A smile graced her beautiful features, and she stared into the camera with a childlike innocence. An innocence he had seen reflected in the footage of her. An innocence and fear.

"What... happened the night she died, Mr. Thropp?" Fiyero asked softly, setting his glass on the desk. Frex sighed, closing his eyes briefly.

"She went out with a few friends. They met at the Philosophy Club, and had a few drinks... when they left it was around... two in the morning... she... climbed into the car with three of her friends- Baxiana Detv, Manek Squ, and her boyfriend, Tersan Mecyi. The other three were drunk, she wasn't. She didn't drink much. Fabala knew better." He sighed, closing his eyes again, as the night came rushing back to him, the night of the accident, the night his little girl died.

"Manek told us that... that _Tersan had been driving... they'd made it past Shiz, were heading out of the town and back here to Nest Hardings. It was summer break. They'd been swerving on the road, thank Oz they were the only ones at the time. Elphaba and he and been in the backseat, with Baxiana in the front passenger, and they'd been laughing and talking, but that Elphaba kept watching the road, like she was afraid..."_

Fiyero swallowed, realizing that it sounded so like the night his friends had died.

"_She leaned forward, pressing her head to her hands, complaining of a headache_..."

Chills raced up Fiyero's spine as Elphaba's words came rushing back to him.

_I've just got a headache._

So there'd been a reason as to why she'd been so silent.

"And... and then... _Tersan accelerated and the car raced out of control. He tried to turn, but only succeeded in causing the car to go spinning out of control. It hit a lightpost, and hit it hard enough that it caused the light to go out, before it rolled six times, finally landing on its side several feet away from the post_." Frex took a deep breath to calm his racing heart as he remembered the coroner's words.

"_They'd been thrown around in that car like bouncy balls, slamming into each other and the rest of the car before it finally stopped. Fabala got the worst of it. She'd been evicted from the back, thrown into the front, through the windshield, and was found a foot from the car. She was bloody and cut up, he nose was... barely hanging on... her cheekbone had been shattered..._ she looked like she'd been put through a meatgrinder..."

He locked eyes with Fiyero, and realized that what the young man had captured on that camera that night- the image of his child broken and disfigured- was true, as true as the day she'd died.

"Avaric, Baxiana and Tersan walked away from the accident scot-free. They were charged for manslaughter in my daughter's death, and each served two years in jail. _Two years_... _they got two years in jail _while my daughter got a _Quoxwood coffin and six feet of dirt topped with a headstone_. They walked away with only minor bruising and a few cuts. My daughter _didn't get to walk away. She was carried away in a body bag_. Instead of seeing her at her grandmother's birthday party the week after, we were _burying her instead_."

After several minutes, Frex wiped a tear off his cheek, once again returning to the photograph of his daughter. He prefered to think of her this way- happy, smiling, full of life and laughter- instead of the way she'd ended up- broken, ripped to shreds, the shell of a girl who'd brought so much light to his life. She was smiling at him, untouched by the tragedic end she would face seven years later.

When he looked back at Fiyero, he saw that the young man had tears in his eyes.

Several moments passed, before Frex stood.

Swallowing, he said,

"She'd just turned twenty-five."


	7. Chapter 7

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: I wonder why Avaric was going to see Frex?**

**Answer: you'll find out**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 4 and 5.**

Fiyero thanked the Govenor and silently left the office, thinking about the story he'd listened too. So deep in thought, he didn't notice the young girl standing in the hallway until he was on top of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She didn't say anything, just looked at the laptop in his hands.

"What's that?"

"Um... uh... a... a laptop."

"What's on it?" She asked, moving closer. He backed up, stumbling over his own feet, causing the dvd to fall out of his hands. Slowly, the girl knelt down and picked it up, looking at it before turning to him. "What's this?"

He bit his lip, unsure of whether he should tell her. She couldn't have been more than ten. Twelve at most.

"Nessa?" Both turned, to see a boy of sixteen standing in the hallway, an exact replica of his older sister, right down to the button nose. The only difference was the skin and the gender. "What's going on?" After several moments, Fiyero held out his hand.

"I'm Fiyero. Fiyero Tiggular. I needed to talk to your father about something."

"What?" Nessa asked.

"Nothing important." He replied. She looked down at the dvd in her hands.

"Does it has to do with this. Is it a movie?" She looked back at him with such delight in her eyes.

"No."

"I bet it is!" Then, she turned and rushed back into her room. Glancing at her brother, he rushed after her, the boy hot on his heels. By the time they made it to her room, she had already placed it in the dvd player on her tv and hit _Play_. They got to her just as Elphaba entered the frame.

_"Elphaba." _

_"You sure you're okay?"_

_"I'm fine. I've just... got a headache."_

_"You sure?" _

_"Glin, she said she's fine." _

_"I... I guess... I... just haven't been the same... since..."_

_"Since what?" _

_"Since my accident."_

As Fiyero rushed to turn it off, the boy stopped him, grabbing his shoulder, never taking his eyes off the screen. He watched, noticing that the features he possessed, were the same features of the girl in the backseat. Slowly, he moved past Fiyero and took a seat on the bed, never taking his eyes off the girl. Several seconds went by, and then he saw her lean forward and point towards a place up ahead, hearing her soft whisper,

_"There... That's... that's where... I had my accident... and died." _

Then, the camera turned back towards the girl, and he saw that the once striking, familiar features were destroyed, torn to pieces. She opened her mouth and screamed as the car flipped, and both jumped when they heard Nessa scream.

_"Daddy!" _

Instantly, footsteps were heard, and then the govenor and the housekeeper were in the room. Nessa got up and threw herself into her father's arms, as her brother sat, unable to take his eyes away from the screen.

"What's going on? What's this?" The woman asked, picking up the remote and pressing _Play_. She watched the footage, and once it got to ruined features of the girl, she gasped, dropping the remote. Nessa burrowed further into her father as she heard the scream. When the video ended, the boy turned to his father.

"Dad, who is that?"

After several moments of silence, the govenor met his son's eyes and said, "Shell... that's your sister, Elphaba."

The boy's eyes widened in shock, and he turned back to the tape. After several minutes, he said,

"That's Elphaba?" Frex nodded. "But... I thought..."

"She is."

"Dad, how did she..."

Sighing, Frex took a seat on the bed, Nessa on his lap.

"A car-"

"Frex. I heard Nessa scream, is she all right?" They all turned, to see a beautiful older woman in the doorway. She possessed the same black hair and brown eyes as her deceased daughter, and she watched the tv with curiosity.

"She's okay, Melena. She just-"

"Mom?" The woman turned to her son. "How did Elphaba die?"

"Why?"

"Because he caught her on tape." Shell said, turning to Fiyero. Quickly, the woman's gaze turned to Fiyero, who ducked his head in embarrassment.

"But she's dead-" They all turned when the housekeeper pressed Play, and Melena watched silent, as the video started. The only sound she made, was a quiet gasp when Elphaba entered the frame. "Oh Oz..." Tears began sliding down her cheeks as she stared at the image of her deceased daughter. "Fabala..." Quickly, Fiyero got up and helped her to the desk chair. Her sobs, that had before been silent, became known when she saw her daughter turn to the frame, her face ruined. The scream caused her sobs to get louder and harder, and she buried her face in her hands, blocking the others from her grief.

"Mom?" She pulled away when Shell got up and reached out to touch, and after several moments, turned to Fiyero, her face streaked with tears.

"Where did you get this?"

"I... I filmed it. Right before our accident."

She looked back at Frex before returning to him. "Your accident?"

"I... was in the accident near Shiz."

"I'm sorry." He nodded, understanding. "But... how did you get the footage of Elphaba?"

"I... We gave her a ride."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Question: Nessa never met Elphaba?**

**Answer: nope**

**Thanks to Drama Queen Sunniebunn and lizziemagic for reviewing 6 and 7.**

"You... gave her a ride?" Melena asked, surprised. Fiyero several moments, she turned and buried her face in her hands. "Oh Oz..." After several moments of nothing but Melena's soft sobs, Shell asked.

"When did Elphaba die?" Frex sighed.

"Ninteen eighty-three." He whispered. "June thirteenth, ninteen eighty-three. In a car accident. Eleven years before you were born. She died the day after her twenty-fifth birthday."

"Did I know her?" Nessa asked, looking at her father, who shook his head.

"No. She'd been dead for fifteen years by the time you were born." Frex whispered, stroking her hair.

"Did she really look like that? When she died?" Nessa asked. Frex nodded.

"Yes." After several moments, Fiyero stood, going and removing the dvd from the player. Then, he thanked the Govenor and left.

"Mister! Mister!" When he reached the front door, he turned back, to see Nessa hurrying to catch up.

"Yes?"

"W... would you come back and visit?" He started, surprised.

"Um... i... if you... want me too..." She nodded.

"Yes. Will you tell me about my sister?" He sighed, and knelt down to her level.

"I don't know about your sister. I'm just learning about her myself, like you. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I think your parents know more about your sister than I do. Why don't you ask them? Okay?" She nodded after a moment.

"Will you still come back and visit?"

"If you want me too."

"I want you too."

"Okay." Then, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and quickly wrote his address and phone number on it. "There you go. That's my address and number, you can call me any time. Okay?" She nodded. Then, straightening, he grabbed the door and pulled it open.

"Mr. Tiggular!" He stopped, to see Melena hurrying towards him.

"Yes?"

"Stay. Please. There's something I want to show you." After a moment, he followed her into the living room, and settled next to her on the sofa, where a photo album sat. Once they were seated, she picked up the album and opened it up, showing him photographs that ranged from their wedding to Elphaba's death. She told him what was going on in each scene, and when she reached the last page, he saw that it was a family portrait of her, Frex and Elphaba. "That was taken a week before she died. We... we didn't know what would happen. If we had... I regret it every day of my life. When we found out she died, I didn't believe it at first... and when we identified her body... I wanted to die..."

He looked down at the portrait, seeing the smiling girl that her parents remembered, wishing he could have met her, gotten to know her, maybe even dated her. He looked up when she called his name.

"I'm sorry?"

"Come on. There's one more thing I want you to see." Quickly, he scrambled to his feet, and followed her up the stairs to the second floor. They moved down the hall, before stopping at a door on the right. Then, she pushed open the door and followed him in.

Inside, he realized that it was a bedroom. Decked out in dark green and black, it looked like a museum- not a single article or material was out of place. Pristine, perfect, he realized that it was a shrine to a lost child.

"This was Elphaba's room." He looked around, taking everything in, before turning back to Mrs. Thropp. "There are days when I wake up and think that, maybe today will be the day she walks through that door. Maybe today will be the day she comes home. And then I pass by this room... and I realize that she's never coming back."

After several moments of silence, he pulled out the piece of paper that had been in Avaric's pocket. "I... hate to ask this, Mrs. Thropp but... you wouldn't happen to know why my friend Avaric had scheduled a meeting with your husband?" Fiyero asked, handing her the piece of paper. She studied it for several minutes, wiping her eyes, before turning and going into the hall, leaving him alone for several minutes. She returned moments later with Frex in tow.

"Yes? What is it?"

All Melena did was hand him the piece of paper. Silent, he read it as Fiyero said,

"My friend Avaric had scheduled to see you a week before the accident. I was just wondering why-" Frex sighed, and handed him back the paper.

"He... was doing research... on our daughter... on Elphaba... and her accident..."

As Frex talked, Fiyero realized something about that night. Suddenly, it all made sense, everything. It made sense as to why Avaric had acted the way he had that fateful night. Why he had refused to stop, and when he had, had tried to get Fiyero and Glinda to agree to continue on and leave her standing on the side of the road. He knew all about the Govenor's daughter. He knew what had happened to her, how she had died, all of it. The question now was,

Did he know what would happen that night?

Did he know that _he_ would die that night?


	9. Chapter 9

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Italics are Avaric's words in Fiyero's memory.**

**A/N: I love lizziemagic's review for chapter 8 because that's basically it... :)**

**Thanks to lizziemagic and Drama Queen Sunniebunn for reviewing 8.**

"What was it for? The information?"

Frex sighed.

"When he... when he called, he said... he said he was researching her for a... a final project... a..."

"Presentation..." Fiyero whispered. Frex nodded. "For his criminal law class." He sighed, and rubbed his forehead, a headache forming. "He... met Glinda and Ifor lunch at the Wilted Rose Cafe on the Tuesday before he died. He was... carrying a stack of books and when he dropped them on the table, he said that he was almost done with the research for his criminal law presentation. He... said he was doing it on this... this _girl_..." The conversation came rushing back to him, as clear as day.

"Elphaba?" Melena asked, and slowly, Fiyero nodded to her.

"Said her name was... '_Elphaba Thropp. She was the Govenor of Munchkinland's oldest daughter. Died in nineteen eighty-three in a fatal car crash out on Shallow Curve Road on June thirteenth. The car flipped and rolled. It threw her through the windshield, destroying her face and killing her. Well, if the impact didn't kill her, then the fall to the ground did. Coroner said she hit hard enough that two of her ribs were broken, and a lung was pierced._

_If she hadn't died instantly, then she would have bled to death from her internal injuries. The other three walked out of the accident with only a few scratches. When they were taken to trial, they were found guilty of manslaughter and each given two years in jail; if this had been any normal case, it would have garnered life sentences for all of them. But it wasn't a normal case; the media turned it into a circus. There was no justice for Elphaba or her family at all. You know, some people even say that she haunts the stretch of road where she died...'" _Fiyero sighed, realizing that while Avaric had looked up as much as he could before speaking to the Govenor, he had also gone too deep into the research, and paid dearly for it.

Then, he looked up at the Govenor and his wife, not sure whether to believe Avaric's words or not.

"Wait a minute, are you saying that your friend thought our daughter is a ghost?" He shrugged, meeting the Govenor's eyes.

"I don't know. But when we stopped that night, Avaric was jumpy, like he didn't want to stop, almost as if he knew who she was or_ what_ she was. He didn't really put up much of a fight, but he wasn't too thrilled when she joined us. He kept to himself, and didn't say much. It was strange- Avaric never acted like that."

"Do you think she's really a ghost?" Nessa asked. Her parents shared startled looks.

"Nessa!"

"She could be!"

After several moments, Fiyero excused himself, thanking the Govenor for being willing to speak with him, and taking his leave. Once he had left Colwen Grounds, he wandered back to through Nest Hardings, not in a hurry to find a cab. He stopped at the public library and after some internal debate, he decided to go in. It looked like every other library, just smaller, more contained.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

He smiled quickly at the librarian, before asking,

"Um... I was wondering if you had any information on Elphaba Thropp?" The older woman looked at her.

"Elphaba... Thropp?" He nodded. "Um... of course we have information on her. Wh... what kind of information were you looking for?"

"Um... newspaper articles, books, whatever you have."

She nodded. "Follow me." And she led him through the library, back to the archives. After searching for several moments, she pulled out several newspaper articles and laid them on a nearby table. "These... are all articles on Elphaba Thropp and... why are you looking up information on the Thropp's oldest daughter?"

"I... lost my friends in a car accident and... I caught a ghost on my video camera that night... I just... wanted to do some research on her." The woman nodded. "Did you... know Elphaba?"

"Yes, I knew her. We all knew her. She was a sweet girl that met a tragic end. The whole town was affected by Elphaba's death. She... she was taken from us too soon." After a moment, she said, "If you need anything else, let me know." He thanked her and she returned to work. Once she was gone, he turned his attention to the newspaper articles.


	10. Chapter 10

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Tersan's car was a Mustang**

**Question: so what's yero gonna find out about elphaba**

**Answer: you'll see**

**Thanks to Drama Queen Sunniebunn, Poet Screaming and lizziemagic for reviewing 9.**

They were old, a few yellowing at the edges from being in storage, others smelling slightly of dust, but all held some sort of headline or story regarding the Govenor's daughter. Her birth announcement, school plays, dance recitals, graduation announcements, Dean's lists, University Honor Rolls... but the most prominent ones were of her death. Full page reports on the accident, page to page coverage of the funeral, trail and sentencing, interviews with the lawyers and family members.

One such article was run the day after her death, with a full page article on the accident.

_GOV'S DAUGHTER DIES IN HORRIFIC CAR ACCIDENT_

Beneath the headline, was a photograph of the wreck, and beneath that, the article.

_LAST night, the twenty-five-year-old daughter of Govenor Thropp was killed in a car accident on Shallow Curve Road, just outside of Shiz, thirty miles before Restwater. The fatal crash happened around three that night; it is unclear whether alcohol or drugs played a part in the young woman's death. Elphaba Thropp was last seen leaving the Philosophy Club and climbing into a black mustang with Baxiana Detv, Manek Squ and Tersan Mecyi, and an hour later, her body was found outside the remains the destroyed mustang, by a couple going from Restwater to Shiz. At first unsure of the identity of the young woman due to the amount of injuries, paramedics later confirmed when the Govenor and his wife showed up at the crash sight..._

It continued on, detailing the crash and the hours leading up, creating a timeline of the girl's final hours on the planet. It showed very sketchy details on the accident, and seemed to hold more details about her last hours before the crash, even going so far as to tell what she'd been drinking. After several moments, he turned to the next paper.

The next one held a grainy black and white photograph of the young woman, next to a photograph of the destroyed Mustang.

_ALCOHOL CAUSED THROPP DAUGHTER'S DEATH_

_IT has been determined by the police, that alcohol played a major role in the death of the Govenor's daughter, Elphaba. The three survivors of the fatal crash that took Elphaba Thropp's life all had a blood alcohol level of 0.8; as for Elphaba herself, her blood alcohol level was only 0.1. It is a well-known fact that she did not drink, and when she did, it was..._

When he turned to another paper, it showed a photograph of the funeral, with hordes of people lining the streets and following the hearse that held the casket down main street. Above the photograph, the headline read,

_THOUSANDS TURN OUT FOR THROPP FUNERAL_

_THIS afternoon, despite the rain and clouds, thousands turned out for the funeral of Govenor Thropp's twenty-five-year-old daughter, Elphaba. After a fitting service at the Church of Sister Saint Aelphaba (for who the Govenor's daughter was named), the young woman was laid to rest at Mertuk Cemetery, amid tearful goodbyes and promises of rememberance. The Govenor and First Lady were the first to say goodbye to their deceased child, and after they passed, the rest of Nest Hardings said their goodbyes. All of Munchkinland is in mourning, and flags are being flown at half-mast for the young woman who touched so many lives at such a young age. Unfortunately, due to the accident, the funeral had to bear a closed casket instead of an open one..._

The next paper detailed the trial, stating the jury selection, the defense attornies and prosecutors, the judge and court dates.

_MURDER TRIAL BEGINS IN THROPP SLAYING_

_TODAY marks the beginning of the murder trial of the century, as the three defendants accused of murdering the Munchkinland Govenor's daughter, twenty-five-year-old Elphaba Thropp on June 13th, 1983, stand trial for murder. The prosecution is hoping for life sentences or even death for all three..._

He read on, learning details about a trail that had destroyed a young girl's reputation, ripped a family to shreds and destroyed a town. After several minutes, he went in search of the librarian and asked if he could have copies of the papers, to which she agreed. Then, he asked for directions to the cemetery, and once he had them, thanked her and left.

Twenty minutes later, he found himself searching for the Thropp daughter's grave.


	11. Chapter 11

**Rifiuto: Non M****iriena**

**A/N: The inscription on Elphaba's stone is from a stone in Bodie. **

**Thanks to Drama Queen Sunniebunn and lizziemagic for reviewing 10.**

There it was.

The stone.

Sitting at the top of the hill, overlooking Nest Hardings.

Overlooking Colwen Grounds.

Overlooking the memorial park that bore her name.

Overlooking the people that had loved her- that still loved her, twenty-seven years after her death.

As he made his way towards it, he noticed that there were no other stones near hers; she was alone, overlooking the rest of the cemetery, like a guardian angel watching over the town. When he stopped in front of it, he found that even though she was alone, she wasn't forgotten.

Around the stone were bouquets of flowers, stuffed animals, daisy chains, munchkinland flags, crosses and the symbol of Saint Aelphaba, for who she was named for- a cherry blossom branch and a rose entwined, with a diamond hanging from between the rose and cherry blossom. Her stone had been turned into a shrine, much like her bedroom had back in the Govenor's mansion.

The stone itself was a cross between elaborate and simple.

The black granite stone was up on a riser, slanted back with a broken sword carved into the left side, a bouquet of carved poppies protruding from the helm of the broken sword into the upper left hand corner, and near the first part of her name. He knew what the two symbols meant.

Eternal sleep for a life cut short.

But for Elphaba, apparently, there was no eternal sleep. Though her life may have ended too soon, she haunted the roadside where she died, even though her body was buried here.

On further inspection, he saw that next to the sword, at the bottom, was the entwined cherry blossom and rose with the diamond, and beneath that, in simple, small lettering, read the words,

_May Saint Aelphaba protect and love thee_

After he finished reading the small prayer, he turned his attention to the name on the stone. It was carved in beautiful, detailed brush script, poised and refined, much like she was. He could just imagine the pain her parents had gone through picking out a headstone.

_Elphaba Aislinn Thropp_

_June 12th, 1958 - June 13th, 1983_

_"A precious one from us has gone, a voice we loved is stilled; _

_A place is vacant in our hearts, which never can be filled."_

The stone was simple, yet beautiful.

Slowly, he knelt down, reaching out to run his fingers over the engraving when a voice startled him.

_"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

He stood and turned, squinting into the sunlight to see a man making his way towards him. He walked with a cane, and moved at a pace slightly faster than a turtle, never taking his eyes off Fiyero. As he got closer, he reached out, pointing, as though he were poking the younger man in the chest. An older woman followed behind, trying to catch up.

_"You! Yes, you! Get away from her, you vargrant! Get away! Leave her alone, you hear? Leave her alone! If you think you're going to take her stone for money, you're sorely mistaken, young man! My granddaughter's stone stays right where it is! Go rob someone else of their stone, but leave my little frog's alone! You hear? I know exactly what you are, you troublemaker! Sneaking into cemeteries in the middle of the night, taking stones and selling them for money on the black market for cash to feed your drug addictions! Well I'm telling you, you're not taking my little frog's stone away from her, no siree! Now get, before I call the cops! Go! Leave her be, you no good for nothing vagrant!"_

_"Kensad! Kensad!" _

Just as the man got up to Fiyero and grabbed the front of his shirt, the woman's voice stopped him.

_"Kensad!"_

Both men stopped. Fiyero, who had closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow, slowly opened them, as the older man turned, to see the woman standing several feet further down the hill, hands on her hips.

_"LET. GO. OF. HIM. NOW."_

Several seconds passed, before he released Fiyero, and the younger man stumbled back. When the woman finally joined them, she turned to Fiyero.

"I'm sorry about that. Kensad just gets... overprotective of her."

"It... it's okay." Fiyero choked out, rubbing his neck.

"I'm Partra."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Fiyero." They shook hands, before he turned back to the stone. Silence passed, as they stood at Elphaba's grave, before Fiyero asked, "What... brings you here?"

It took Partra a couple minutes to tear her eyes away from the stone bearing her granddaughter's name, but when she did, Fiyero found himself looking into the same dark eyes; staring into the same face. She was an older version of her granddaughter.

"She's our granddaughter. We visit her every day- if we can. We... come up here to... check on her, to... clean her grave... Lately we've been coming up here just to visit. We sit and tell her about our day, what's been going on, how Nessa and Shell are doing, what's been going on since she left. You must think we've gone crazy, but... truth be told, she gets so few visitors, that we're afraid everyone will forget her. So we try not to. We try to make at least one trip every day or every other day so she doesn't get lonely, and so she knows that... that she has people here who care about her and love her."

"But... the flowers, the..."

Partra chuckled softly.

"Everyone loves her, but so few visit her... the whole town stops by on Memorial Day and on the anniversary of her death, and her birthday, but... they don't stop by in between. So we do. We let her know that... just because they don't visit, doesn't mean they don't love her any less. They just can't find the time."

"So you... make... time." Fiyero said, understanding. Partra nodded, looking at him.

"Yes. We make time. We make sure we have a lot of time to visit her. Usually we... come here just after lunch and leave... just before dinner. So that we have... at least four, maybe five hours with her. And... we tell her about our day, and what Nessa and Shell are doing, and what Melena and Frex are doing... and how her friends are... and just... how things are going in town. And we tell her we miss her. We tell her that a lot."

At this, Partra wiped a couple tears off her cheeks, as she looked at her granddaughter's gravestone.

"But... why is she buried up here by herself. If you didn't want her to be lonely, why did you bury her way up here? Why not bury her down with everyone else in the cemetery?"

Slowly, Partra turned to look at the young man.

"Because she loved this hill."


	12. Chapter 12

**Rifiuto: Non M****iriena**

**A/N: Elphaba's grandfather is kind of funny, isn't he?**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 11.**

_"Just who the hell are you, anyway?"_

Both turned, to see Kensad kneeling in front of the stone.

"I... I'm Fiyero Tiggular... I... I'm a student as Shiz University... I..."

"I don't care about that. What I want to know-" He started, climbing to his feet. "Is how you found my little frog."

Fiyero bit his lip.

"I... I was in a car accident a few weeks ago... and... we... my friends and I... we picked up a girl... on the side of the road... she caused... she caused our crash... my friends were killed... the... the girl was... was..." He gestured towards Elphaba's headstone, embarrassed.

"Elphaba? You picked up Elphaba?" He nodded.

"Impossible. My little frog's dead. She's been dead for twenty-seven years. There is no way-"

"Kensad. Let the boy talk." He shared a glance with his wife, before turning back to Fiyero.

"I... I got it on tape..." After several minutes, Fiyero opened his laptop, put the dvd in and hit PLAY, allowing the couple to watch the footage. When it came to Elphaba, he stopped it, allowing them to take in the detail of their granddaughter's face. She stared at them, frightened, unsure, yet so familiar...

"Oh my Oz." Partra covered her face with her hands, as tears began to prick at her eyes.

"Little frog." When Fiyero continued to play the tape, and they saw what she became after, he knew he'd made the right choice in showing them the footage.

"Has... has Frex seen this?" Partra asked, wiping tears off her cheeks. Fiyero nodded.

"I'm sorry..."

"She looked exactly like that when we saw her at the morgue... her face was so swollen and cut up that... for a while, we doubted it was her. She was so beautiful... and that... that beauty was gone... in an instant... in the blink of an eye, she was reduced to a bloodied corpse... we couldn't have an open casket... we had to keep it closed..." After several minutes, Partra turned towards her granddaughter's stone.

"Her death nearly ripped Frex and Melena apart. They'd tried for _so long _to have a baby..." Kensad told him, resting a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Fabala was their miracle."

He nodded at his wife's words, never taking his eyes off the stone. "She was the light of our lives. She lit up this whole town. She could walk into a room and make everyone fall in love with her."

Fiyero listened, realizing that what Mr. Thropp said was right. Though he hated to admit it, he'd also fallen in love with the raven-haired beauty. What made it worse, was not the fact that she was dead, but more the fact that she had caused his friends' deaths. Yet he couldn't help the fact that he was falling for her.

After several moments, Partra turned to Fiyero and said, "Come on, we have something we want to show you."

Forty minutes later, he found himself sitting on the sofa in the Thropp's small house, staring at family photographs, children's art projects and little knick-knacks.

"Here we are." He moved over as Partra sat down, a photo album in her hands. When she opened it, she pointed to a photograph in the top left corner of the page. "Here's Fabala on Kumbrica's Eve, when she was eight. She went as the Kumbric Witch... she had so much fun trick-or-treating, she ate so much candy she got sick and had to stay in bed for two days."

Fiyero chuckled softly, as she turned the pages, showing him photographs and telling him stories. When she got to a full-length photograph of a man and woman, she stopped.

"That's Fabala at her senior prom, with Tersan."

"Wait a minute,_Tersan Mecyi_? The guy who was driving the night of the crash?" Partra nodded.

"They'd known each other since daycare. They were best friends. We were all certain they'd get married and have babies after college, but..."

He turned back to the photograph.

Elphaba stood next to Tersan, a big smile on her face. She was dressed in a beautiful, strapless black dress with an uneven skirt. Her long raven hair was piled in curls on the top of her head, and she smiled at the camera with a one hundred watt smile. Tersan was in a nice suit, and they looked the perfect picture of bliss. She turned to another page, telling him the stories that went along with the photographs. Eventually, she got to a senior portrait, with a graduation invitation for Nest Hardings High.

"She graduated Valedictorian of her senior class." Kensad told him. "Brightest little thing in the whole world. Sweetest girl... she was going to be a singer. She had the most beautiful voice you'd ever heard. The voice of an angel. She was going places, our little frog. And then... they took her from us too soon."

Kensad seemed to drift off, back to the night his precious granddaughter died.

"They?"

"Those three friends of hers. Tersan, Baxiana and Merku... Merkan... whoever they were. They stole her from us. They flipped that car, and when she died, they didn't even bother to check to see if she was still breathing. When we got there, _Frex and Melena had just arrived, and... the paramedics were covering her with a sheet and loading her onto a stretcher. As they started wheeling her towards the ambulance, her hand dropped and hung, swinging back and for as she was taken away. It was like a half-hearted goodbye. Almost as though she didn't want to go, but didn't have a choice. They loaded her into the ambulance, slammed the doors and took off, and I just remember hearing Melena scream. _It wasn't just of grief; she was dieing, along with her daughter; Melena, Frex... we all died that night. When they killed Fabala, they killed us. We've never been the same."

Fiyero listened, picturing the paramedics taking her away. After several minutes, he said,

"I'm sorry."

Gently, Partra patted his hand.

"It's not your fault."


	13. Chapter 13

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N:_ Somewhere Over the Rainbow_ belongs to Judy Garland, _The Wizard of Oz _and whoever wrote and composed it.**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 12.**

Several minutes passed, before Partra got up, going into the kitchen. She came back with three cups of coffee and handed one to Kensad and Fiyero before going to the television and pulling out a dvd. After slipping it into the player, she started it, and settled next to Fiyero.

"This... was Elphaba's sixth birthday."

He watched as the camera came into focus and settled on a little green-skinned girl with black pigtails. She wore a dark blue dress and stood on a chair, leaning over a birthday cake with six candles. Voices singing Happy Birthday were heard, before, "Blow out your candles, Sweetheart." The little girl did as told, taking a big breath and blowing all but one out. It stayed, the flame suspended for several minutes as she gathered another breath, before it too went out.

Video after video was watched; school plays, birthday parties, anniversaries, concerts. Eventually, Fiyero found himself watching a Senior video of the nineteen-seventy-six graduating class. Shots of the students messing around, of dances and plays, and pep rallies were seen. What caught Fiyero's attention the most, was her social personality. She seemed outgoing and extroverted, willing to do anything. He watched as the school dance team came out during a pep rally, and as they were called, how each girl took a bow.

_"Elphaba Thropp!"_

Cheers were heard, as she stepped forward in her black and sapphire blue dance uniform, and took a bow, her long raven hair falling over her shoulder. She rejoined the group with a wide smile on her face, and waited as the other girls each took a bow as they were called.

"She was a dancer." Fiyero said, turning his attention to Partra, who nodded.

"She loved to dance."

"Dance, sing... she was a real triple threat, and she would have done amazing things if she hadn't died." Kensad added. As the video continued on, it showed a talent contest, with Elphaba taking part.

_"When all the world is a hopeless jumble_  
_And the raindrops tumble all around_  
_Heaven opens a magic lane_

_When all the clouds darken up the skyway_  
_There's a rainbow highway to be found_  
_Leading from your windowpane_

_To a place behind the sun_  
_Just a step beyond the rain_

_Somewhere, over the rainbow_  
_Way up high_  
_There's a land that I dreamed of_  
_Once in a lullaby"_

She had the voice of an angel; coupled with her beauty, meant that she was absolutely gorgeous, and Fiyero couldn't help falling even deeper in love with the girl who had caused his friends' deaths. Her voice was lilting, captivating, so beautiful. She watched the camera, her eyes lighting up with delight as she sang, and he felt that she was focusing on him and only him.

_"Somewhere, over the rainbow_  
_Skies are blue_  
_And the dreams that you dare to dream_  
_Really do come true_

_Some day I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far_  
_behind me_  
_Where laughter falls like lemon drops away above the chimney tops_  
_That's where you'll find me_

_Somewhere, over the rainbow_  
_Skies are blue_  
_And the dreams that you dare to dream_  
_Really do come true_

_If happy little bluebirds fly_  
_Beyond the rainbow_  
_Why, oh, why can't I"_

When the video finished, she smiled at the camera, waved, and excused herself.

"What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." Fiyero said, snapping out of his revere. He turned his attention to Elphaba's grandmother, instantly blushing at the realization that he was falling in love with their deceased granddaughter.

"She sang that song for an agent at Emerald Records when she was eighteen. They signed her on immediately, and she was going to move to the City the week she died. She'd found an apartment and had moved some of her things and was working on it all that week, when she..." Partra stopped, reaching up to wipe tears off her cheeks.

"Is her apartment-"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask the realtor. He would have the information."

An hour later, Fiyero took his leave, thanking Partra and Kensad for answering his questions and showing him the videos. As he slipped into his dorm later, he found himself being drawn back to the smiling girl in the videos. She exuded so much life, so much happiness, so much love, that he couldn't help but fall in love with her. As he took a seat at his desk and replayed with footage, he decided that he'd check out Elphaba's apartment and see what he could find.

Hopefully, with a little luck, he'd be able to find something that would help his... investigation.


	14. Chapter 14

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to lizziemagic for reviewing 13.**

The next morning, he left his dorm, headed to his classes, and once they were done, he headed into the City, planning on searching for Elphaba's apartment. He'd actually looked it up the night before, and so had the address and the name of the agency and agent in case he needed help finding it. So it was around three-fifteen when he found himself standing in front of the Emerald Studio Apartments.

They were studio apartment complexes of emerald brick, some with bay windows and some with regular windows. Silent, he searched for the apartment that would have been Elphaba's, but being unable to find it, went into the lobby and up to the desk clerk.

"Um, excuse me,"

"Yes, can I help you with something?" The woman asked.

"Um... I was wondering if I could see Apartment 1031?" Instantly, the woman's features fell.

"A... p... apartment... 1031?" He nodded. It took several minutes, but she finally recovered and turned to the computer. "Why the interest in that one? We have several others that-"

"I'm not looking to rent one, I just... I'm doing research and I was thinking that maybe if I saw the apartment, it would help me." She nodded, glancing at him.

"You... you _do know _what happened to the girl that lived in that apartment, _don't you_?" He nodded, meeting her eyes.

"Yeah, I know." She nodded slowly, before handing him a key.

"It's... on the third floor, last door on the left." He smiled at her.

"Thanks."

He headed up the stairs, going to the third floor landing, and once there, he went to the end of the hall, stopping in front of the last door on the left. On the the middle of the door, in rusted metal, hung the numbers

1031

He stared at the door for several minutes, before pulling out the key and unlocking it. It creaked open, stiff from years of non-use. After poking his head in, he entered, softly shutting the door behind him. Once it was shut, he turned to survey the room before him. The studio was pretty big for being a studio apartment, with a loft bed in the far right corner, a smaller bedroom off to the right, a bathroom in between the two, the living room and a kitchenette to the left. A huge bay window was in the living room, and a small study area sat underneath the loft bed.

Everything was left exactly as it had been- the sofa, chairs and coffee table were in the middle of the room across from the tv; the desk and chair were under the loft, and the bed in the smaller room was stripped down. Boxes of belongings and clothing sat in various places on the floor in the living room, and he saw the rumpled edge of a blanket peeking over the edge of the loft.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, trying to imagine what this place must have looked like when Elphaba was still moving her things into it. He imagined her dressed in shorts and a tank top, flip flops or flats on her feet, her hair loose around her shoulders or up in a ponytail, carrying boxes up the stairs and into the studio; directing her friends or the movers on where to put to put the sofa or other furniture.

She was as clear as day in his mind's eye, standing in the doorway dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, hair in a ponytail while she directed the movers on where to put the sofa.

_"In the middle, right in front of- no, no, behind the coffee table, so that it faces the tv. Yeah, no, further to the right-"_

_Arms appeared around her shoulders and she turned to smile at Tersan. "So, finally getting moved in?"_

_She sighed. "Slowly but surely." A laugh escaped her throat, before she turned and kissed him._

Eventually, the image faded, and he opened his eyes. She must have been so excited to be moving into the apartment, that she'd enlisted her friends to help her move. After several moments, he moved around the apartment, examining everything from unpacked boxes to clothing unpacked and strewn everywhere. He caught images of her unpacking, trying to decide where to put things, as they flashed across his mind.

When he came to the bay window, he found that one of the cushions was pushed up. Slowly, as though afraid he were tresspassing on private property, he reached beneath and grasped something, pulling out a plain notebook. After a moment, he sat down on the window seat and opened it up.

Sketches and lists met him, flowers and hummingbirds, grocery lists and lists of things to keep and sell, all in her neat scrawl stared up at him. As he turned the pages, he found himself reading notes and reminders, from paying the first months' rent to visiting her parents for Sunday dinner. Eventually, he turned to one page, in the middle of the notebook and read

_... packing is exhausting. Scratch that, _moving_ is exhausting. Making sure I have everything and then making sure everything gets to where it's supposed to go, dealing with the movers, getting in touch with the landlord... I've never been so exhausted in my entire life! Thank Oz Ters, Anek and Baxi agreed to help, otherwise I'd be moving for the next twenty years! They make moving so much easier, I'm so glad I have them as friends. They're family and we need to stick together. Besides, I can't imagine my life without them, especially Ters, I love him _so much_..._


	15. Chapter 15

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

They were journal entries.

Quickly, he dropped the notebook, causing it to land open on the floor. Silent, he stared at it as though it were a snake about to bite; finally, he got up, and slowly picked it up. Then, he turned the page and quickly read through the paragraph. His bottom lip tucked between his teeth, and he debated what to do with the long forgotten book.

If he left it here, it would probably go unnoticed for the next twenty-seven years. But if he took it with him...

No one would notice if it was missing or not; apparently, no one ever came in here. Besides, maybe the journal could tell him a bit more about the girl who'd so ensnared him. So he slipped it into his bag. Afterwards, he wandered around the apartment, examining things and trying to understand the girl who had at one point, briefly lived within its walls. When he was done, he left, giving the clerk the key and returning back to Shiz. As he closed the door, he removed the journal and tossed his bag on the bed, before going to the kitchen and fixing a cup of tea. Tea in hand, he then settled on the sofa and opened the book.

She wrote about the hassle of packing, about the meetings with her new agent, and the songs she was working on to show him at their next meeting with Emerald Records. But the most prominent entries were about her relationship with Tersan.

_... He's so loving. He makes sure my needs are met before his own. Dare I say it? I think I could see myself marrying him..._

_Tersan and I joined Anek and Baxi for dinner tonight at The Emerald Diamond. Baxi told us about the classes she's taking for her Phd, and Anek told us about the new court case Diggs' law was hit with. Ters didn't say much; unless its something he's really interested in, he won't speak much. I told them all about the new song I'm working on. I've finished thirty songs in the last twenty-four hours, enough for an album- no, two albums. I start recording them tomorrow. And I've finally decided on a title for my debut album. I'm not going to go with a self-titled album, those are so old-school; I'm going for something more... modern._

_Gorgeous._

_And as for the second album I'll record after Gorgeous?_

_Think Too Much_

_I think they're both great titles, and my agent agrees. As for the songs, well, here's the list of all thirty:_

_1. Gorgeous_

_2. All of the Above_

_3. Minuet_

_4. Larissa's Lagoon_

_5. Reach_

_6. Better to Have Loved_

_7. I Stand_

_8. Where Do I Begin_

_9. Still I Can't Be Still_

_10. Fool Out of Me_

_11. Heart on My Sleeve_

_12. Perfume and Promises_

_13. Planet Z_

_14. Follow If You Lead_

_15. Straw Into Gold_

_16. I Feel Everything_

_17. My Own Worst Enemy_

_18. Brave_

_19. Forever_

_20. Don't Let Me Down_

_21. Better To Have Loved_

_22. Defying Gravity_

_23. I'm Not That Girl_

_24. Good Enough_

_25. As I Am_

_26. Suddenly I See_

_27. Coffee_

_28. See What I Wanna See_

_29. Bittersweet Faith_

_30. All That Jazz_

_I'd have to say that, out of all of them, Gorgeous is my absolute favorite song that I've written so far. I told them all about the songs and what I'm planning on doing with the music videos. I'm thinking for Brave, something on the roof of one of the old buildings, maybe some shots in the building, and maybe a strapless burgandy dress with a really long shawl..._

One entry in particular caught his eye.

_Tersan and I have been talking about after I get settled in the City. He asked me if maybe we could spend more time together, or that we could go out to dinner more often. Spending time at each others' apartments; hanging out with friends... We even talked about moving in together. We're already sleeping together, so I guess moving in together would be the next step. I mean- we are a couple. And... I think I could see myself marrying him. Scratch that, I know I could see myself marrying him. I can see little children running around that look like him or I or both of us. I love Tersan so, so much, that I can't imagine my life without him._

She seemed so sincere, sounded so in love, so head over heels, that she couldn't see anything else. She couldn't see that the same man she had fallen in love with would be the man that would cause her death. That the man she had fallen in love with would be the man who basically murdered her after a night of dancing and drinking. The man had _her_ blood on his hands, yet got off scot-free for her murder. Yet she loved him, deeply, maybe because she didn't know about what would come to pass.

_I love him._

_With all my heart, I love him. I don't think I could ever love anyone else the way I love Tersan._

_I want to spend the rest of my life with him._

_Forever._


	16. Chapter 16

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Issa(dot)wicked17 and lizziemagic for reviewing 15.**

He sat there for twenty minutes, trying to figure out what to do about the book. Eventually, he decided to write down a list of facts that he was certain on.

_1. She was the Govenor's oldest daughter_

_2. She was born with green skin_

_3. She was born on June 12th, 1958_

_4. She died on June 13th, 1983_

_5. She was dating Tersan Mecyi at the time of her death_

_6. She died on Shallow Curve Road_

_7. She was a singer that had signed a record deal with Emerald Records_

_8. She was moving into her own apartment when she died_

_9. She was twenty-five when she died_

_10. She was now a ghost haunting the place of her death_

When he was done, the list revealed ten things that Fiyero was certain were true about Elphaba. But within the list, were holes- holes so big, cities could be swallowed. Gaps in the story that could only be filled by the three survivors of the fatal 1983 crash.

Quickly, he wrote down the names of the three people he needed to talk to.

Baxiana Detv.

Manek Squ.

Tersan Mecyi.

Now all he needed to do was find them.

The next afternoon, Fiyero found himself standing on the doorstep of the townhouse. Once again, he checked the address on the piece of paper he held.

_239 Emerald Avenue_

After several minutes, the door opened, and an older woman stepped onto the stoop.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

He smiled at the woman, before saying,

"Hi. I'm Fiyero Tiggular, and... I was wondering if I could ask you a couple questions?"

"Sure. About what?"

As he entered the home, he noticed that the woman had short red hair, hazel eyes and freckles across the bridge of her creamy nose. She looked to be about fifty-four, two years older than what Elphaba would have been had she lived. She still looked good for fifty-four. Once they were seated, Fiyero said,

"Um... Ms. Detv, I... was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about Elphaba Thropp?"

Suddenly, her eyes clouded over and she shivered.

"Of... of course. What did you want to know about her?"

"Um... you were a friend of hers, weren't you?"

She nodded.

"She was my best friend. We... we met when we were in grade school... I was two years ahead of her... and... some kids were picking on her because of her skin. I defended her... we became fast friends."

The memory came rushing back like the summer sun on a rainy day.

_"Froggie! Are you green all over?"_

_"Did your froggie parents leave you on a doorstep when you were a tadpole?"_

_"Why don't you go back to the pond where you belong? Froggies don't belong in school!"_

_The little girl buried her face in her book, trying hard to ignore the insults. _

_"Why don't you leave her alone?" The taunting stopped, when an older girl- about ten-years-old- stepped in front of the girl. "Go away! Go on! Get!"_

_When the kids were gone, the girl turned to the child. _

_"Thank you." She whispered. The girl smiled at her. _

_"Welcome."_

"We...went all through school together. I grew up in both Munchkinland and the City, shuffled from my dad to my mom and back. When I moved to the City to live with my mom in ninteen-seventy-three, I promised to write to Elphaba, and we did, until we went to college. It was a shock to discover that she was going to Shiz at the same time I was. And then we both transferred to Emerald University after a year. We were roommates, best friends."

"Did you know Tersan?"

She shrugged.

"I knew him only slightly in school. By the time senior prom rolled around I'd moved away, and they were dating steady. Tersan went to EU, and then we transferred there after a year at Shiz. I was going into photography and Fabala was going to be a singer. This was before she'd rented her apartment. Before the accident-"

Fiyero listened, looking around slowly. There were photographs on the mantle- one in particular, that on close inspection, Fiyero saw was of a younger Baxiana and Elphaba. The girls were dressed up for Kumbrica's Eve- Baxiana as a fairy, Elphaba as an angel- arms linked, glasses of champagne in their hands.

"That was taken a year before the accident. We'd attended a Kumbrica's Eve party at the Philosophy Club with Tersan and Manek. We had a blast. I'll never forget it. It was the best night of our lives. Tersan had planned on proposing to Fabala that night after the party, and he did. She said yes. She showed up the next morning on my doorstep, with this huge smile on her face and a ring on her finger."

She reached up to wipe a tear off her cheek.

"She told me that... _'He proposed Baxi! He proposed!' I asked her when, and she looked down at the ring and said, 'Last night. After the party. When we were driving back to my place. He pulled over on Shallow Curve Road and we walked along the road looking at the stars. When they started shooting, he knelt down and asked me to marry him.'_ I'd never seen her so happy."

"Sh.. Shallow Curve Road? Where she was... killed?" Baxiana nodded. After several minutes, Fiyero took his leave, thanking her.

As he headed down the sidewalk, he knew that Elphaba's engagement was something that none of the papers had mentioned. There were only four people that knew about it.

And one of them was dead.


	17. Chapter 17

**Rifiuto: Non M****iriena**

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late. But I'm back, with time to update.**

**Question: Simply a coincidence? Or planned?**

**Answer: I'm not saying...**

**Thanks to lizziemagic, Issa(dot)wicked17 and 0x0magic0x0 for reviewing 16.**

668 Asher Lane

He waited, but no one answered. So, knocking again, he glanced quickly at his cellphone, checking the time. It was then that the door opened, and a woman poked her head out.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Um... yes, actually. I... I'm Fiyero Tiggular and I was wondering if Manek Squ was home?" She didn't say anything, just turned back into the house.

"Manek?"

After several minutes, an older gentleman joined her, glancing quickly at Fiyero.

"What is it, Milla?"

"This young man wants to talk to you."

"About what? If you're trying to sell us something, we're not interested." Manek said, shutting the door.

"It's about Elphaba Thropp!" Fiyero cried. The door stopped, opened again, and Manek moved closer to him.

"Elphaba?" The younger man nodded. "How do you know about Elphaba?"

Fiyero bit his lip. "I... I met her. My friends and I... we picked her up... they died in a car crash not long after we picked her up." Manek nodded, before moving back.

"Please, come in."

Once they were sitting in the living room, Manek said, "I'm sorry about your friends, but... I don't see how Elphaba fits in. She's been dead for twenty-seven years. There's no way-"

"I took footage of that night. She's in that footage. I know it's her. Her parents confirmed it. I just... I wanted to know more about her."

Manek nodded, before glancing at his wife.

"She was wonderful. One of the sweetest people you'd ever meet. There were misconceptions about her because of her skin, but Fabala... she never hurt a fly. We used to joke that she was a wicked witch because she had a truly wicked side. When she got an idea into her head, she followed through with it, if it killed her. She had such big goals; she was going to be a singer in the City, from the time I knew her until her death, she was certain that she was going to be winning awards."

"Someone told me that... that she had an apartment in the City." Fiyero said.

"She did. It was little, but she absolutely loved it."

"Did Elphaba seem... depressed at all?"

"Depressed?" Manek thought a moment, before shaking his head. "Sweet Oz, no. I don't think Elphaba knew what that word meant. It wasn't in her vocabulary. She was always happy, always had a smile on her face." He glanced towards the mantel, causing Fiyero to turn. Sitting on the mantel, was a photograph of four friends. One, he realized, was Elphaba. After a moment, Manek turned back to the young man. "Why?"

Fiyero shrugged.

"I was just... curious. She was in a relationship, right?"

"Yes, she was engaged to Tersan."

"Did he ever... abuse her?"

"Oz no. Tersan loved her. He loved her with all his heart. They got engaged the year before she died. They'd planned their wedding for July. July twenty-third. She had her dressed picked out and everything. But..."

"She didn't get married, did she?"

Manek shook his head.

"No. She died ten days before her wedding. Instead of... attending a wedding, we were attending a funeral. Instead of wearing her wedding dress, she wore the dress she got engaged in. Instead of carrying her bouquet, we laid it on her grave. Instead of listening to her wedding vows, we listened to her eulogy. She was only twenty-three, she was too young. She should have been enjoying life-"

"But instead she was being buried." Manek nodded, squeezing his wife's hand.

"I never met her, but I've heard a lot about her. I would have loved to have meet her, she... she seemed wonderful, from what Manek's told me."

"She was. She was the sweetest girl in the world." He said, glancing at his wife. After a moment, he said, "The night Elphie died... Tersan rolled the car... we'd been drinking. All except Elphie. She didn't drink much. A couple drinks, nothing more. The only thing Elphie did that was even remotely 'rebellious' was have a smoke every once in a while- and when she did smoke, it was chain. But that was really, really rare. On the night she died... _I slipped out of the club for some air, to find her sitting on the step, watching the darkness and chain-smoking._ _I asked her if she was all right, and she said that she was fine._ Five minutes later _she turned to me. 'Manek, where do we go when we die?'_ It startled me. _I just stared at her. 'Why?' She shrugged. 'I just... do we go to the Other World after we die or do we just disintegrate into thin air?'_ _I had to scramble for a reply. 'Um... we... we probably go to the Other World. I can't imagine our spirits just disintegrating.' She nodded, almost like... like she was accepting it. 'What if... we die young? What happens then?'_ I told her that I didn't know."

Fiyero listened, chills running up and down his spine. After a moment, he thanked Manek and left. After he climbed back into his car, he glanced back at the house, took a deep breath, and drove off.


	18. Chapter 18

**Rifiuto: Non Miniera**

**Question: does he (Fiyero) find end up killing himself to be with her?**

**Answer: I'm not saying**

**Question: Does he go back to the curve to try and find her (Elphaba)? **

**Answer: You'll have to read to find out**

**Thanks to Issa22, lizziemagic and I(.)Dont(.)Walk(.)I(.)Glide for reviewing 17.**

He read over the address again, making sure he had it right.

823 Haunting Road

Yep, this was the right address.

Taking a deep breath, he reached out and rang the doorbell. Several moments passed, before the door finally opened, and an older man poked his head out.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

Fiyero swallowed quickly, mustering his courage.

"Um, are you, Tersan Mecyi?"

The man nodded. "Yes. And you are?"

"I... I'm Fiyero Tiggular. I... I have a few questions to ask you, about..."

Tersan waited, crossing his arms. "About?"

"About Elphaba Thropp."

Instantly, Tersan's expression changed. Anger, sadness, and even love seemed to pass over his features at once. In a matter of minutes, he was closing the door. "We have nothing to talk about. I've told everyone all that I know about what happened that night. I don't know any more than you about the night she died."

As the door swung closed, Fiyero called out, "I just want to know about her!" The door stopped, midway. After a moment, Tersan returned to the doorway. "I just want to know what she was like; what kind of person she was. Nothing more, nothing less."

Tersan seemed to consider his words, before opening the door and inviting him in. Once they were seated in the living room, Tersan asked,

"What do you want to know?"

Fiyero sighed, unsure of where to begin. "Um... how... how did you two meet?"

Tersan took a sip of his coffee, keeping silent. After several moments of thought, he said,

"We met in a History class in high school. I sat right behind her, and drove her insane. We didn't get along at all; but when senior year rolled around, I'd gotten up the courage to ask her out. We went to the prom together, and then went our seperate ways after graduation, eventually meeting up again at EU. We'd kept in touch for a couple months after graduation, and then lost contact. When we met up again, it was like being reunited with a long lost family member. She was beautiful; more beautiful than she'd been in high school."

After a moment, Tersan set his cup down and got up, going to the mantel. He stared at a framed photograph- inside, rested a couple, dressed in slacks and t-shirts. The girl wore a pair of white capris and sneakers, with a white tank top. Her long raven hair was pulled back in a very loose ponytail and tossed over her shoulder. She had her arms wrapped loosely around his neck and he was holding the backs of her knees. Both wore carefree smiles on their faces, and exuded happiness and love.

It took a few minutes, before Fiyero realized that it was Elphaba, and that the outfit she wore in the photograph, was the outfit she'd been wearing the night of _his_ crash. She stared at him with such a look of utter bliss, that Fiyero found it impossible to believe that the face he'd captured on camera- torn and cut up, with its shattered bones and broken blood vessels and ripped lips- was the same face staring at him out of the photograph.

Not a trace of the bloodied, ghostly girl was seen in the pictures; she was whole, beautiful, happy.

"It was taken the night she died."

Fiyero looked up, meeting Tersan's eyes. Tears glistened on the edges of his lashes, and he had to take a deep breath to keep from breaking down.

Twenty-seven years after his fiance's death, he- like everyone else touched by Elphaba in that short a time- still grieved for her loss.

"What happened that night?" Fiyero asked, softly. Tersan returned his gaze to the photograph; he remained quiet for several minutes, before saying,

"We... _we met at the Philosophy Club for a few drinks. Fabala hardly drank, but that night... that night she wanted to enjoy herself._ We were going back to Nest Hardings from Shiz, for a few days. We'd made plans to spend a few weeks in Gillikin after Nest Hardings... _Sometime around... midnight_, I think, _she kissed me and slipped outside. Said she needed a cigarette, and that she wouldn't be gone long_. Forty minutes later, _Manek went outside to get some air_-"

"And that's when Elphaba about dieing." Tersan nodded, surprised. "He told me when I talked to him."

Taking a deep breath, Tersan continued, "_When she came back in, she was right as rain; she smelled like smoke, and... I took her into the backroom and kissed her_... _we spent... an hour and a half in the back of the club, making out..." _Fiyero listened, silently bristling at the thought of Tersan kissing Elphaba, fiancee or no.

_"When we... when we finally left, we... we all climbed into my mustang, and... and drove off..._" He sniffled before continuing. "I don't remember much after that... the whole drive is one huge blur... I vaguely remember _looking in the rearview mirror and seeing Elphaba staring out the window, almost like... she was... afraid... or... or contemplating an escape_... and then... I... I just..." He closed his eyes, swallowing his tears.

"Just?" Fiyero prompted, gently.

"The next thing I remember is... _is the car rolling and... and the sound of breaking glass... and then hearing this ear-splitting scream, and then nothing. And then I woke up, and I'm being treated by a paramedic, and I reach up, and there's blood on my fingers,_ only-" He choked out a soft sob. "Only it wasn't my blood. It... _it was Elphaba's_..." He locked eyes with Fiyero, who, meanwhile, was letting the details of the accident sink in. "And_ I looked over, and Elphaba's being loaded into an ambulance, and she's covered with a sheet_..."

When Fiyero left, he shook Tersan's hand quickly, thanking him for his time. He turned to go; it happened so fast that he didn't even register the punch until the voice joined in minutes later.

_"You fucking bastard! You killed my precious baby girl! You murdered my daughter!"_


End file.
